Refrigerator



A. A. KUCHER July 2. 1929;

nnmmsrwron Filed July 10, 1.92s

2 Sheets-Sheet i l l a m H A A INVENTOR ATTORNEY A. A. KUCHER REFRIGERATOR Filed July 10 1 3 SNOW-Shoot u ber INVE roR v WITNESSES ATTORNEY Patented July 2, 1929.

UNITED STATES PAT-NT oFFIcE.

ANDREW A. KUCHER, OF CHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC 8t MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

REFRIGERATOR.

Application filed July 10,

My invention relates to refrigerating machines, particularly to small capacity machines of the compression type which are suitable for household use, and .it has for an 'object toprovide apparatus of the character designated which shall effect a counterflow of the working fluid within the evaporator and of the air circulating within the refrigerator box. Furthermore, the evaporator shall be so constructed as to provide a maximum. amount of heat absorbing surface per unit quantity of working fluid, and it shall be so arranged within the refrigerator box as to displace that "portion of the space therein which is the least' desirable for storage pur; poses.

These and other objects, which will be made apparent throughout the further description of the invention, may be obtained'by the employment of the apparatus hereinafter described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a front view, in elevation, of a refrigerator box'having an evaporator disposed therein in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a view in transverse sectional elevation taken on the line IIII of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a view in longitudinal sectional elevation taken on the line III-III of Fig. 2. p

In compression refrigerators of the household type, the evaporators associated therewith are very frequently arranged within the refrigerator box in such manner as to occupy the most desirable storage space therein. Furthermore, the respective circulation of the working fluid within the evaporator and of the air within the refrigerator. box 1s not such as to produce a maximum amount of heat transfer. The ice manufacturing means associated withsevaporatoi 'siof this type usually require that one of the large access doors, or

a special door" provided in the refrigerator box for that purpose, be opened to permit re moval of the ice, thereby exposing a considerable portion of the interior to the relatively warm temperature of the outside atmosphere.

In my improved apparatus, the evaporator is so proportioned as to produce a thinfilm of working fluid, and thereby provide a maximum amount of heat transfer surface per unit volume of working fluid. Furthermore, it is disposed in that space within the box which is defined by the projection ofthat of ice,

1923. Serial No. 650,669.

part of the wall of the box, which lies between the doors, upon the opposite wall of the box, which space is the least accesm'ble for food storage purposes. The battles associated with the evaporator are so arranged within the box as to produce a counterflow of the air within the box and of the working fluid within the evaporator and thereby insure a maximum types, and that the apparatus illustrated and I herein described is employed by way of example and as an aid in presenting a clear expositionflof my invention.

Referringto the drawings for a more detailed description of my invention, I show a refrigerator box 10 provided with access doors l1 and 12 and a central jamb 13. Sup ported upon the upper surface of the box is a chamber 14 containing the condensing and compressing mechanism, and disposed within the box and located directly behind the jamb 13 is an evaporator 15. The evaporator 15 comprises a rectangular portion 16 and a cylindrical portion 17. The pro-portions of the area of flow through the evaporator are such as to form a thin film of working fluid. The transverse walls of the evaporator are provided with a plurality of pairs of indentations 18, which register with each other and which may be welded together as at'l9. 'These welded indentations provide a very economical form of construction for stiffening the broad flat sides of the evapora tor. Arranged concentrically within the cylindrical portion of the evaporator is :1. cylinder 21 which is closed and made gas tight at its rear end by a circular disc 22 and which is open at its front end, communicating directl with a circular opening 23 provided'in .the ront wall of the refrigerator box. An ice drawer24 having a plurality of compartapted for the formation is disposed within the cylinder 21. It

ments or molds 25 a is provided with an extended flange portion 26 which covers the opening 23 and thereby prevents circulation of air between the interior of the cylinder 21 and the outside atmosphere. I

Working fluid is conveyed to the evaporator from the condensing and compressing mechanism 14 by means of a supply conduit 27 which has its discharge end 28 centrally located within the lower ortion of the evaporator. Disposed above t 1e discharge end of the supply conduit 27 is a baflle 29 having provided therein a plurality of small openings 31. Vapor generated in the evaporator is returned to the compression mechanism, contained in the chamber 14, by means of a conduit 32. The inlet portion of the conduit 32 is formed into .a U-tube having its free open end disposed above the level of the liquid in the evaporator and having its curved portion extending well below the level of the liquid. A small aperture 33, located in the curved portion of the U-tube and below the normal level of the liquid, permits a small amount of liquid working fluid to enter the vapor conduit and to be carried upwardly by the compression mechanism. A check valve 34 is provided in the. conduit 32 for preventing any back flow of the warm gases during non-operation'of the apparatus. The return conduit 32 passes without the evaporator and extends downwardly to approximately the bottom of the evaporator after whifi it returns and extends upwardly through the refrigerator box to the chamber 14. On its return, the conduit 32 is arranged concentrically without the supply conduit 27. Vertically disposed on each side of the evaporator 15 are baflles 35 which extendthroughout th" length of the rectangular portion and may be maintained in spaced relation thereto byany suitable means. These battles, as well as the evaporator, are arran ed in back of the jamb 13, and do not exten into the spaces which may be projected from the access openings 'upon the opposite walls of the-box.

The-operation of the above described apparatus is as follows: The evaporator is filled to a level, such as indicated on the drawing, with a suitable working fluid. This working fluid may consist of a refrigerant and a lubricant which readily mix one with the other to form a homogeneous or liquid solution, and which I have disclosed in my copending a plication serially numbered, 5 February 8, 1923, and entitled Refrigerators. This working fluid is of such character that its constituents are not separable mechanically but only by vaporization. 1

Upon starting the compression mechanism (not shown), liquid working fluid is conveyed through the supply conduit 27 to the lower portion of the evaporator wherein it is .discharged upon the ballie 29 and is distributed -evaporator.

throughout the flow area. It rises upwardly through the evaporator and' a portion is diverged about the cylinder 21. Cooling effect is then produced in normal manner by the absorption of heat from the refrigerator box, and the refrigerant vapor generated thereby rises to the upper portion of the'evaporator. The proportions of my evaporator are such as to form the fluid into a very thin film and thereby obtain'a-maximum amount of heat absor tion surface per unit volume of workis conveyed through the conduit 32 to the compression mechanism. It passes through. the U-shaped portion of the conduit and thence through the check valve 34. Upon a stoppage of the compression mechanism, the check valve 34 prevents the warm gases from flowing back into the relatively cool evaporator. Because of its location below the level of the liquid working fluid, the small aperture 33 permits a limited flow of liquid, which, as heretofore stated consists of a re frigerant and lubricant, to enter the return" conduit 32 and become entrained in the refrigerant vapor.

Upon a stoppage of the compression mechanism, the U-tube portion of the return conduit fills with liquid working fluid to a level corresponding to the level of liquid within the evaporator. Upon restarting the apparatus, the initialo mrating cycles of the compression mechanism draw this liquid through the return conduit 32, and it serves to seal the compression mechanism in passing therethrough. Thereafter, refrigerant vapor having entrained therein only a small quantity of liquid working fluid is withdrawn from the It passes downwardly through the conduit. 32 and absorbs additional heat from the refrigerator box, which heat vaporizes the liquid refrigerant contained in the entrained liquid and consequently produces a fluid for delivery to the compression mechanism consisting of a refrigerant vaponhaving entrained therein a quantity of liquid of high lubricating quality. In its final passage upwardly through the conduit 32, the refrigerant vapor. which is at a very low temperature and which surrounds the relatively warm liquid working fluid, absorbs additional heat therefrom. This arrangement prevents rap d absorption of heat by the liquid working fluid prior to its entrance into the evaporator.

Upon ice being formed in the molds 25,

the drawer 24 may be withdrawn, and the ice removed for various uses. To remove the ice, it is not necessary to open any of the large access doors and, consequently, the only portion of the interior which is subject to ex-. osure, is the bore of the cylinder 21, the surace of which is relatively small. In this manner, large increases in the temperature of the refrigerator box, coincident with the removal of ice, are eliminated and a consequent reduction in operating costs is effected.

The circulation of air within the refrigerator box is as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1. The baflies 35 direct the circulating air downwardly along the walls of the evaporator, whereby it is successively cooled because )of the fact that the working fluid is flowing upwardly through the evaporator, a counterflow effect results and a maximum amount of heat transmission is consequently obtained.

While I have shown my invention in but one form. It will be obvious to thosewskilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various otherchanges and modifications, without departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are imposed by the prior art or as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:' y 1. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combination of a refrigerator box, a cooling element disposed" within the refrigerator box, and an ice drawer located in the cooling element and having a portion projecting through and extending beyond onetof the walls of the refrigerator box.

2. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combination of arefr'igerator box, an evaporator dis osed therein, and an ,ice drawer disposed wit in the evaporator and extending through one of the walls of said .box.

i 7M 7 3. In a refrigerating apparatus, the'combination of a storage chamber, a cold chamber disposed therein, an.opening provided in the cold chamber for retaining'an ice mold, an opening provided in one of the walls of the storage chamber, said 0 eningf registering with the opening provide in the cold chamber, and an ice mold located in the'opening the wall of the storage cham er. 4. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combination of a refrigerator box, an evaporator disposed therein, said evaporator having a compartment for the circulation of a refrig erant and the compartment for the manufacture of ice,an opening provided in the re frigerating box and communicating directly with the/ ice-making compartment,and an ice drawer adaptedjto be nserted irrthe "icemaking compartment, sai'd ice drawer having tion with the evaporator, a portion of said ice receptacle extending through an openprovided in one of the walls of the rerigerator box.

6. In a refri erating apparatus, the combination of a re rigerator box, an evaporator disposed within the refrigerator box, an ice receptacle disposed in heat-transfer relation with the evaporator, a portion of said ice receptacle extending through an opening provided in oneof the walls of the refrigera- "tor box, and means carried by the ice receptacle for closing the opening in the refrigerator box.

7. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combination of a compressor, a condenser for condensing the refr gerant vapor discharged by the compressor, an evaporator, a conduit communicating with the inlet of the com pressor forwithdrawing refrigerant vapor from the evaporator, means for entraining a liquid mixture of refrigerantand lubricant in the refrigerant vapor removed from the evaporator, andmeans for subjecting the ontrained liquid mixture to the heat of both *theinterior ofthe refrigeratorbox and to the heat of the condensed refrigerant, whereby the entrained liquidentering the compressor 1 is substantially a lubricant. v

8, In a refrigerating apparatus, the comeing so arranged as toisubject the vaporous and liquid refrigerant as well as lubricant removed from the evaporator to themelatively v %atortowardthe compressing means and also prov ded 1n the cold chamber, said ice mold projecting through the opeuibng providedin higher temperature of the interior of the refrigerat or box and to the rela tively higher temperature of.conden"sed refri eran t from the condenser, whereb'yathe liqui refri erant removedfrtim the evaporator is vaporized and only vaporous refr gerant and lubricant passes toward the com ressor. I

- Irrtestimony whereo I have hereunto subscribed my name this 2nd day of July, 1923.

- ANDREW A. KUGHER. 

